A guide to the Montessori method

A Guide To The Montessori Method – is a book, which was published in 1913 and written by Ellen Yale Stevens. The Montessori Method is a pedagogical system proposed in the first half of the 20th century by the Italian teacher and physician Maria Montessori. The Montessori system is based on the ideas of free education and is in line with humanistic pedagogy, an important place is given to sensory education (development of the senses) through didactic classes and a specially organized environment. The author's belief in the value of Montessori's theories and methods is based on the conviction, deepened by this study and observation, that its educational principles have a sound philosophical and psychological basis; a belief that the author's experiments with American children further reinforced. Therefore, the author had a desire to clarify what, as it seemed to her, is the psychological basis of Montessori methods. In order to generalize and interpret the principles that underlie them, so that the spirit that animates them can become a living force in America, the author offers this study of these principles and their concrete embodiment in the material now so familiar to the American public. Ellen Yale Stevens also made some suggestions for possible additions and adaptations to the urgent needs of the United States, which are the result of an experiment conducted using material with a group of American children. The author also hoped that this interpretation of Dr. Montessori's educational theories and practices would rid the minds of her readers of many of the misconceptions that have arisen since the first introduction of the Montessori Method in America.